ABOUT ADOPTION

Adoption is a child protection and legal measure, where the end result is always one’s own children and real parents, i.e., a family in all its uniqueness.

Adoption involves many unique needs and perspectives. We have distributed information on these pages so that you can find what you are looking for. Let us know how we did!

Not all themes collected on our pages apply to all adoptions. Things happen in adoptive families that are not due to the adoption. It is useful to keep in mind that adoption may create a kind of filter over these experiences.

Domestic and international adoption

Adoption takes place both in Finland and abroad through licensed adoption service providers. Statistical data on international adoptions carried out in Finland have been collected since 1985 (detailed statistical data can be found on Valvira’s website).

About 3050 children born in Finland are adopted through domestic adoption each year (the socalled biologically nonrelated child adoption). Tilastokeskus publishes information about the number of adoptions in our country. https://www.stat.fi/til/adopt/index.html

In international adoptions, situations change, the donating countries change, and the number of arriving children varies. The idea of international adoption is that it would always be a temporary solution, until the country in question gets its own child protection matters in order by developing them.

Children from Finland were given up for adoption abroad as late as the 1970s, especially to Sweden and Denmark.

Those interested in parenting were able to announce their willingness to “take in an adopted child” in newspapers.

Law and child protection

Adoption is a legal process governed by many laws, in which the rights and responsibilities of the parent are completely transferred to the adoptive parents.

Adoption is a child protection measure, it is implemented from the child’s best point of view, and in all decisions and other measures concerning the child, the child’s best interests must be taken into account. (PDF opens in a new window)

With adoption, the aim is for the child to have a permanent and safe attachment relationship with the adult who takes care of the child.

Diverse types of adoptions

The division between domestic (those born in Finland) and international adoption is perhaps clear,
but what other types of adoption can there be?

The biologically nonrelated child adoption
Through adoption, the parents receive a child who is not related to either of them. This is how people usually think of adoption.

Adoption within the family
One adult in the family already has legal parentage to the child in the family, and a similar relationship is wanted to be formalized with the parent’s spouse. This can happen, for example, in rainbow families or new families. Adoption within the family requires the consent of the child’s other parent, as his legal parentage ceases with the adoption.

Adult adoption
Adult adoption is when a person of legal age formalizes their relationship with an adult who caredfor them as a parent when they were minors. Any adult cannot therefore adopt any adult.In adult adoption, it is not necessary to ask the consent of the biological parents, but if it is not thespouse of the biological parent, the legal parentage of the previous parent ceases with this

From who’s perspective are you looking for information about adoption?

Although the same themes, such as attachment trauma or aftercare, may be of interest to many, an adoption applicant, a professional who meets adoptees or adoptive families, or the adoptee himself may have a vastly different perspective.

Could you find the information you are looking for in the shortcuts listed below?

If you are looking for information about the adoption process in general, i.e., the various stages of starting and progressing through adoption, take a look at our adoption path! (links to finnish site)

adoptioprosessin eteneminen polkuna

Available benefits related to adoption

You can find information about the adoption support, which is intended to partially cover the travel and other expenses of an international adoption, on Kela’s website.

If you want to know about family benefits for adoptive families, you can find information on Kela’s parental allowance page or information about family benefits on our website.

All parties to the adoption (adoptee, adoptive parents and biological parents) have the statutory right to receive counseling even after the adoption has been confirmed. You can talk to the adoption counseling social workers at a low threshold. From there, you can get referrals to other services and, if necessary, even a statement about the special nature of adoption to support applications.

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